Time Management for Work from Home Professionals

Beth Worthy

7/27/2011

Many working people, especially those who trudge off to a nine to five job at an office or spend an hour commuting in a traffic jam are envious of those professionals, who are able to work from home. The idea of working from home has a relaxed and leisurely quality about it; the schedule and hours are flexible, and there are no annoying co-workers or team meetings to contend with. The home professional, it appears, is his or her own boss. However, working from home has its own share of setbacks and pitfalls. Time management is the key to be able to successfully work from home.

Juggling home and work is not an easy task. The home is filled with numerous distractions. If a person is not motivated it is easy to procrastinate; sometimes it is easier to write bills, go grocery shopping, mow the lawn, or engage in any other domestic responsibility than it is to sit down in the home office and do work. It takes a motivated and disciplined individual to be able to work for at least half the day at home.

For the stay at home professional, work is important for at least half the day. It is imperative for those working at home to establish some type of structure. Is it better to work in the evening or the morning? The rigid, nine to five working schedule needs to be replaced with productive blocks of time. It does not matter when those eight hours of work each day are accomplished, as long as the person is working for at least half the day.

The proper time management for the work from home professional can be achieved by creating a priority list. It is important to have both a daily and a weekly schedule. A list of professional and domestic responsibilities will enable a person to use their time more efficiently. There is no boss to set the deadlines. The home professional sets their own working routine, and it is crucial to follow that routine.

In order for a stay at home professional to be successful it is important for the family unit to work together. Children need to do their chores. Husbands and wives need to do tasks that perhaps they are not accustomed to. There needs to be a division of labor. The organized household is essential for the work at home professional.

Get Latest News & Insights Sent Directly To Your Inbox

Beth Worthy

Beth Worthy is the President of GMR Transcription Services, Inc an Orange County, California based company that has been providing accurate and affordable transcription services since 2004. She has enjoyed success at GMR for almost ten years now and has helped the company grow. Within two years of Beth managing GMR Transcription, it had doubled in sales and was named one of the OC Business Journal’s fastest-growing private companies. Outside of work, she likes spending time with her husband and two kids.